Students Taking Trip Idea To Soviets

June 17, 1986

A teacher and two students from Immaculate Heart of Mary High School in suburban Westchester will visit the Soviet Embassy in Washington Tuesday in an effort to put pressure on the U.S. government to send a group of students from the school on a citizens` diplomatic trip to the the Soviet Union. A history class at the school has received nationwide media attention since sending an eight-minute antiwar videotape to President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The White House last week denied the students` request for a $150,000 travel grant. ``We`re hoping we`ll get a better response from the Soviets than from our government,`` said teacher John Blake, who also will lead the students to appointments with various lawmakers.